Dominican drug official to fight extradition to US

A former senior anti-drug official in the Dominican Republic will fight extradition to the U.S. on drug charges after all.

Dominican prosecutors previously said Francisco Hiraldo had agreed to be extradited to New York, where he has been indicted in federal court on trafficking charges. But that changed Friday.

Hiraldo refused to sign an extradition agreement and said at a court hearing that he wants to clear his name. A hearing before the Supreme Court has been scheduled to start in January.

The former Dominican navy vice admiral spent 14 years in high positions with the Caribbean country's counter-drug agency. He is accused of allowing at least 25 large shipments of drugs into the country between 2007 and 2008, accepting a $100,000 bribe each time.